When her husband left her, Jescah thought she would never be able to provide for her children on her own. Living on a small farm in County Busia, western Kenya, at once she became the sole provider for her large family.<\/p>\n
The 52-year-old mother virtually survived on the maize crop that she could grow on their three acre farm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt very hopeless. Farming wasn\u2019t working out and I didn\u2019t make any income,\u201d she remembers. \u201cI was scared my children would not get an education and would fail in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two years ago, things turned around for Jescah. She joined a Self Help Africa project and began growing cassava, a staple tuber crop that grows well in this part of Kenya. Jescah received cuttings and was trained in how to grow the crop. Today, she grows almost four acres of cassava, and sells it at a fair price to a local cooperative that processes the tuber into flour, chips and other products.<\/p>\n